(122) Making do

Many years ago, my first job after graduation paid eight hundred and forty dollars. It was during a prolong recession that I  felt fortunate to have a job.

 It was difficult to manage on that amount. Bus fare to and from work, lunch money hacked away a big chunk of money. Buying a pair of presentable shoes practically cleared my bank account the first month.

I still recalled I had to survive  on sandwiches from home to save money to buy a suitable handbag. That was with the second month pay. After the third month, I was confirmed and my pay went up to thousand two. Finally there was a decent amount left for the purchase of working clothes. 

It would be fair to say that whatever I managed to purchase the first six  months were strictly necessities. It was after the first six months that I finally get to look at a positive  balance and managed to save on a monthly basis.

* orange flowers from stanford.edu